Selling a House As-Is: How to Skip Repairs and Move On!

How to sell a house as-is

Here’s what you need to know to nail an as-is home sale — plus major pitfalls to avoid, according to top agents.

1. Factor as-is into your pricing, but don’t get lowballed

In order to successfully and quickly sell your home on the market as-is, you can’t expect to price it the same way you would if you’d planned to make targeted upgrades and repairs.

“It’s all about pricing,” Williams states. She says that she sees sellers fall into the trap of setting their prices based on idealized numbers they find on the web. “When it comes to selling as-is, the number you see online may not be the right price.” In fact, one of the biggest barriers to closing on a fast, profitable sale is overpricing a home that’s in need of repairs.

As shown in HomeLight’s Top Agent Insights report, 28% of agents agreed that pricing the property too high is the common reason buyers walk away from the negotiating table with sellers.

“I truly believe there’s a buyer out there for every home,” Williams explains. “But you have to figure the cost of repairs into where you price the house.”

Elizabeth Weintraub, a top agent in Sacramento, California, agrees. She says that sellers should work with an agent who can provide a voice of reason amidst conflicting information on the internet — and even against predatory fixer buyers who try to take advantage of as-is sellers.

“The problem is pricing it correctly to reflect the repairs required without leaving any money on the table to maximize seller profit,” explains Weintraub, who has been pricing homes for 45 years. She says that these lowballers may use scare tactics like, “Nobody will buy your house in this condition, but me,” or pressure along the lines of, “This is the best offer and only offer you will get, and it expires in six hours.” An agent can help you see those tactics for what they are and sell your home for its market value.

2. Consider high-ROI projects that aren’t much work

While selling as-is can mean skipping projects entirely, focusing on easy, high-return fixes can help you boost your home’s price with minimal cash and effort.

According to Robert Taylor, a real estate investor and rehabber in Sacramento, California, with 16 years of experience, you should avoid repairs that will only marginally increase your home’s value. He shares the formula that’s helped him keep his real estate transactions profitable.

“I look at repair costs and the home’s future value as a one-to-one relationship,” Taylor explains. “If I spend ten dollars on repairs, I want to see the home’s value increase by the cost of repairs, plus ten dollars. If I spend $20,000 on repairs, I expect to be able to increase my home’s value by $40,000.”

Here are a few smaller projects that would meet Taylor’s benchmark as being worth the investment, even if you’re selling a house as-is:

• Spruce up your curb appeal: Amplifying your home’s curb appeal helps you boost the marketability of your home. Top real estate agents estimate that investing in landscaping can add $7,312 in resale value, a 112% return on investment (ROI), and a new garage door adds an average 193.9% ROI.
• Deep clean and declutter: Even if you’re selling as-is, depersonalizing and sprucing your place up has a huge payoff: Deep cleaning, hauling out old junk and furniture, and removing clutter can add $8,000 in resale value when you spend just a few hundred dollars on a cleaning service and dumpster rental. “Every seller should clean and declutter when they sell as-is,” Williams urges. “Get rid of all that old stuff on the front end. It looks terrible in photos.”
• Add a fresh coat of neutral paint: Painting your walls a crisp white or warm gray depersonalizes the space to attract more offers, and the effort also increases your sale price by an estimated $8,000.

3. Provide disclosures

Selling as-is isn’t a loophole to avoid telling buyers your roof is leaking or the home needs all new plumbing. Most states have mandatory disclosures, and failing to disclose information potentially opens you up to legal liability.

“A lot of sellers say, ‘I’m selling it as-is — I don’t even want to talk about what I got going on here,’” says Edward Kaminsky, a real estate agent in Los Angeles with 37 years of experience. “That can come back to bite the seller because if it’s proven that they did not disclose something they were fully aware of, they can be held liable after the close of escrow.”

Williams notes that her state, Alabama, is a “caveat emptor” state or, in layman’s terms, a buyer-beware state. That means it’s the buyer’s duty to inspect the home. But it doesn’t relieve sellers of all responsibility. “We’re still required to disclose all health and safety issues, like black mold or lead-based paint,” Williams says. But she adds reassurance that even with health and safety hazards, many investors will still buy the home: “Just make sure you have that in writing.”

Every state has its own legal requirements for disclosures, so check with your agent. They’ll be familiar with your state’s disclosure laws and can help to highlight your home’s positives, such as a large yard or great location, to attract your target buyer. Work with a top agent in your market state to ensure you’re aware of the local laws.

4. Label your listing ‘as-is’

Unless a listing specifically has the language of being sold as-is, buyers are going to assume it’s a regular sale.

“Including ‘as-is’ helps your agent connect with the right buying agents in our networks to find the best prospective buyers,” Bebleh says. “The client knows right away the seller won’t be doing any repairs.”

When writing your listing description, strive for transparency by clearly describing the property’s current condition. Remember, some as-is buyers, especially those seeking a residence, are often concerned about hidden repair costs, financing hurdles, safety hazards, and the time and effort required for renovations.

That said, your listing should be upfront about the home’s needs and any potential challenges. Honesty is key to building trust with buyers, allowing them to make informed decisions and feel confident about what they’re committing to. By setting realistic expectations, you can attract serious buyers who are prepared to take on the work that needs to be done after the sale.

On the flip side, be sure to highlight your home’s best features in the listing. Maybe it’s in a great neighborhood with easy access to top schools, or it’s just a short walk to parks and public transportation. If the house has a big backyard, that’s a huge draw for families who are fond of hosting parties or spending time outdoors.

Whatever makes your home special, make sure to emphasize those positives. By focusing on the property’s strengths, you’ll catch the attention of buyers who can see the potential, even if the home needs a little work.

5. Consider a pre-listing inspection

There are a couple of key reasons you might opt for a pre-listing inspection. First, it can be beneficial to have a third party come in for an unbiased opinion. “You don’t want to get to closing and be hit with an inspection report that shocks you,” Williams says.

It’s especially disconcerting when you’ve lived in your home for decades, and the buyer’s inspection unearths details about your home that you didn’t expect. “You feel like they don’t know the home like you do because they’ve never lived there,” Williams continues. “And you’ll say, ‘What? There’s not a leak here!’” Getting transparency upfront saves you from any surprises.

Second, you’ll receive more non-contingent offers if you disclose everything you know about the home from the start, according to Bebleh: “Buyers will know exactly what’s wrong with the house and submit an offer based on that.”

6. Address ‘deal killers’ if possible

While a buyer may be willing to overlook some cosmetic issues, many won’t be able to look past these big-ticket repairs. If you have the funds, you may want to prioritize these items to avoid attracting bad deals from buyers who capitalize on lowballing unappealing homes:

• Structural issues: According to HomeAdvisor, a cracked, leaking, or sinking foundation can cost anywhere from $2,217 to $8,112 to repair. “It’s a huge can of worms,” Bebleh says. “It’ll really scare off some buyers.”
• Pest infestation: The damaging effects of termite infestations cost an average of $3,000 to resolve. Because the extent of the destruction can be hard to see and treating the infestation early is key to mitigating the problem, buyers tend to be wary of pest-infested homes.
• Black mold: “People are terrified of mold and mildew,” Williams stresses. “If you’ve got anything black growing, you definitely need to have a professional come check that out.” Mold remediation costs between $1,223 and $3,749 on average.
• Old, worn roof: Replacing a roof will cost $5,960 to $12,740. If you can’t afford it, fret not; it isn’t necessarily a deal killer. However, it’s a large expense that can frighten off first-time buyers.

7. Skip pricey cosmetic updates

Before you consider making repairs to your home, balance their cost and time requirements against their return on investment. Taylor points out that time is an often underappreciated factor here.

“If a homeowner is already living in a different home, they need to consider the extra cost of insurance, possibly two mortgages, plus utilities,” Taylor says. “Sellers often forget that these carrying costs reduce the return they’ll get on their home.”

On Taylor’s list of repairs to avoid are these two notoriously poor ROI projects:

• A mid-range major kitchen remodel will cost you approximately $79,982 and return about $39,587 at sale for an ROI of just 49.5%.
• A mid-range bathroom remodel will cost around $25,251 and return about $18,613 when you sell, an ROI of 73.7%.

Your options to sell a home as-is

You may assume that selling as-is always works the same way. But you actually have two main avenues to explore: requesting a cash offer or selling as-is with an agent. Let’s review both options.

Request a cash offer

One option to consider is going immediately to a pool of buyers who aren’t as worried about your home’s condition and asking them: Would you buy my house? Seriously, that is a possibility! Here’s how it works.

• Evaluate your home and circumstances: If your house has major flaws, such as a defective roof, leaky plumbing, or foundation cracks, a house-buying investor will have the capital to make repairs. Or, if you need a fast sale to start a new job or quickly settle an estate, requesting a cash offer can be a good solution.
• Contact a cash buyer: Most cash buyers prefer to purchase homes off-market, so you’ll need to reach out to them. We recommend our Simple Sale platform as a good starting point. Get started by telling us a bit about your home and how much work it needs, and we’ll connect you with the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S. You will receive a no-obligation cash offer in just 24 hours.
• Skip repairs: There’s no need to call the roof inspector or drain your savings to replace the HVAC system. Simple Sale provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition.
• Sell when it’s convenient: Do you want to get out right away? Or do you need a little more time to pack? Either way, your Simple Sale offer timeline can be flexible. Within 30 days of closing, pick a move date that works for your schedule.
• Close with certainty: Cash buyers don’t need a lender’s involvement to purchase a home, meaning they can move nimbly and quickly compared to someone who needs financing. That can make for serious time savings. With a cash offer, you can skip over the red tape and avoid a collapsing home sale.

Curious to know more about the Simple Sale experience? Hear it firsthand from one of our valued clients in the video below.

Sell as-is on the open market

Perhaps your home isn’t a total teardown, and you’re willing to see what kind of deal you could strike on the open market. In that event, you can list your home for sale — ideally with a pre-listing inspection and prepared disclosures — at a fair price and try to keep your work on the home to a minimum.

In some cases, you may want to determine if there are any projects worth tackling, even if it’s a pared-down version than what might be typical for a regular sale. You can go about this in two ways:

• Hire an agent with as-is experience: To avoid a bad experience selling a house as-is, Williams advises: “Work with an agent who’s familiar with closing traditional sales and those geared toward the investor market — one who knows the best of both worlds.” Weintraub agrees: “In these situations, agents need to do a lot of homework, checking out the buyers’ reputations, looking for ways buyers might try to renegotiate and squashing those efforts, and they need to help their sellers make the right decision.”
• Sell your home as-is by owner: For-sale-by-owner (FSBO) is a method of selling your home without the involvement of a listing agent. In an FSBO scenario, the seller assumes all the responsibilities, such as pricing the home, arranging showings, and negotiating. However, this could mean leaving money on the table, especially with an as-is sale. According to a National Association of Realtors’ report, FSBO homes sold at a median of $310,000, significantly lower than the median of agent-assisted homes at $405,000.

Pros and cons of selling a house as-is

Selling as-is can be a solid choice if you’re in the midst of a shifting real estate market or if you’re simply planning to move fast and want to skip the stress and hassle of negotiating with picky buyers.

But while there are plenty of good reasons to sell as-is, you’ll need to weigh the positives against the negatives to make the best choice for your home sale. Here’s what to consider.

What are ‘Minimum Property Requirements’ when selling an as-is home?

Minimum property requirements (MPRs) are safety, security, and health standards a home has to satisfy to be considered inhabitable. Each lender has its own standards for what meets MPRs, but common baselines include functional heat, a working roof, and a structure free from decay.

If a buyer is working with certain homebuyer programs, such as a Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loan, falling below MPR standards could be a deal killer. As an as-is seller, you can work with an expert real estate agent and consider a pre-listing inspection to determine whether your home is likely to meet financing requirements. If not, tailor your listing to real estate investors with the capital needed to buy your home in cash and rehab it.

A final word on selling a home as-is

If you don’t have a stash of cash or spare time to dedicate to renovations, or if you simply don’t want the hassle of drawn-out negotiations, you might decide to sell your home as-is. Just remember these key takeaways:

• Selling as-is can help you close on a sale much sooner, but you’ll likely receive a discounted price. To avoid getting taken to the cleaners, work with an experienced agent who can help you reject lowball offers and maximize value.
• Explicitly include as-is in the listing; otherwise, buyers won’t get the memo.
• Consider ordering a pre-listing inspection to avoid surprises and set the home’s price accurately.
• Understand that even if you list as-is, some buyers will try to negotiate on the inspection. Again, a great agent can help you navigate through it.
• Avoid pricey upgrades, but know that tidying up, making small cosmetic repairs, and investing in curb appeal can go a long way.

When your house needs a lot of work, most regular buyers won’t be interested. Consider connecting with a house-buying company through a platform like Simple Sale if you want your house sold as-is. You can receive a no-obligation, all-cash offer in just 24 hours, and close in as few as 10 days.

Header Image Source: (Roger Starnes Sr / Unsplash)